Off to HIFS This Saturday. Anyone There THIS Week or Last?

[boltjames]

Okay.....it's time for the first Disney trip where we're staying (oh no) off site.

Very nervous......anyone stay at HIFS these past few weeks and can give an update on conditions, quality, tips, etc etc?

TIA

 

[Archimomma]

We were there from 3/15 to 3/23 and had a great time. The only inconvenience is they have some of the parking blocked off which makes it hard to find a spot if you stay at the parks late.

The hotel seems to be full right now and the morning breakfast can get a bit hairy. The staff does a pretty good job keeping on top of wiping the tables down and getting the floor swept. I also saw several people taking trays of food back to their rooms to eat. We did this one morning when my husband was ready way before the rest of us.

The room was very comfortable, we had a king and bunk beds suite and it was so nice to have room to spread out. The fridge is about twice the size of a dorm fridge and was plenty big enough for the soda and leftovers we stored in it. Having 3 TV's was nice too. There was plenty of storage space to unpack into and the beds are on high frames in the master bedroom so you can fit your suitcases underneath.

If you are planning to do laundry, there are not too many laundry areas for a hotel this size. I did laundry twice during our stay and ended up being up very late to get a washer/dryer. If you are planning a "stay at the motel and swim" day, I would recommend doing laundry in the morning of that day.

The evening activities looked like lots of fun, we never went over to participate in much of anything tho. The convenience store and souvenir store carried everything we needed and were very reasonably priced (especially in comparison to Disney resorts).

I thought the puppet safety show that is on each time you turn on a TV was a little creepy for some reason. I can't put my finger on why. My kids got a kick out of it and watched part of it every night.

I would definitely stay there again. It was well worth the money!

 

[Archimomma]

I wanted to add after re-reading your post that this was our first experience off-site too. The hotel really is "right outside" the park on the Animal Kingdom side and getting to the parks in our rental car was a breeze! I would venture to bet we beat the commute times of the busses from our on-site stays. Very convenient!

Also, no standing in line for the bus forever, no standing while on the bus and no one's butt in your face when you are seated! Also, no long walk to and from the bus stop.

One other advantage over the Disney resorts, no freakishly long check in time. We were checked in and on our way in no time. During all 3 of our previous stays on-site, we had 30 min check in times, once it was our turn! I don't understand this since the room was pre-paid in every case. It seems like they ought to be able to hand you your keys and send you on your way. Each time the clerk would type forever, say hmmmmm, and disappear behind the counter to "talk to her supervisor". We met up with some relatives staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge last week and they had the same experience. I don't get it!

We would definitely do the HIFS again!

 

[boltjames]

Thanks Archimomma! I'll post here with my observations this upcoming weekend / week. We always rented a car when we stayed at the CBR, so the bus issue won't be there. Just concerned about the quality of the rooms, cleanliness, etc.

This is going to be an easy-on-the-resources type of trip this year; no rush to get to the parks, no big deal if we miss a morning or two either.

I'll report back if anyone's interested.

BJ

 

[tabby1964]

Archimomma,

We were there the same time as you. The only problem we had was when we came back early to use the pool and it was closed because of an accident. I agree about not having enough laundry rooms. We had a fun time and the kids loved it. I thought the breakfast were okay and the Club Car was not as bad as I had heard for Dinner. It is very convenient to all the parks. We were in room (745 or 754??) on the 5th floor with pool view. My kids loved the face painting in the lobby. I have pizza coupons if anyone is interested.

Janice